Guoqu

The Guoqu are the national civil service examinations. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' knowledge of the Chinese classics, and sometimes also of technical subjects. These are the primary route for most people to achieve positions in the aristocracy.

Under Tungning law, high office are closed to those who are not children of officials of the second full rank or higher, unless the candidate has passed the guoqu. Those who passed the higher literary examination comes to monopolize all of the kingdom's high positions of state.

Literary examinations
The literary examination is divided into a lower and higher examination. In turn, in the lower literary examination some candidates applies for a "classics licentiate" and others for a "literary licentiate". After passing these lower examinations, they could proceed to the higher examination.

Military examination
The military examination selects candidates in the first stage, of whom were allowed to pass the second stage. Of these, a few comes from the capital and the remainder from the various provinces.

The military examinations tests a mixture of military and literary criteria. The first stage of the test is a practical test of various military skills, in which the successful applicants are selected, is an oral examination of applicants' knowledge of the Confucian canon and certain classics of military thought.

Miscellaneous examinations
The miscellaneous examinations are divided into four parts: translation, medicine, natural science (astrology, geography, and ...), and recordkeeping. These examinations are overseen by the government office which employed specialists in the field.